ESTERO, Fla. – Louisiana Tech was in another dogfight at the Gulf Coast Showcase, and again the Bulldogs were able to close out their opponent by winning 65-62 over Richmond on Tuesday afternoon at Hertz Arena.
LA Tech (6-0) and Richmond (3-4) were tied up at 62-62 in the closing seconds and it was the Bulldogs who had the ball to try to win it. Amaree Abram managed to get his on rebound off a missed three-pointer, which gave them another opportunity to win it. Abram had another try at a game winner, but his jumper was off the mark.
A foul was called on the Spiders with 2.4 seconds left as Daniel Batcho went for the offensive board. The redshirt senior who has get terrific from the foul line this season missed the first but calmly made the second to give LA Tech a 63-62 edge.
Following the make, a technical foul was issued to Richmond's head coach. As a result, Abram stepped to the charity stripe and hit nothing but net on both makes to make it a 65-62 lead. The Spiders' game-tying three from halfcourt was off the mark, keeping the Bulldogs undefeated on the year and keeping their hopes alive of winning three games in three days at the event.
The game played out much like the one against Southern Illinois the day before. LA Tech was in control from the jump, building a 24-16 lead with 7:48 to go after a fastbreak layup by Kaden Cooper.
The 'Dogs then went cold. Ice cold. They made just one of their last 10 field goal attempts of the first half. Meanwhile, the Spiders closed out the stanza on a 19-3 run (eight of those points coming from Delonnie Hunt) to take an 8-point lead into the locker room.
LA Tech chipped away though in the second half, thanks in large part to Sean Newman Jr. asserting himself offensively. He drained consecutive three-pointers and made an old-fashioned three-point play to put the Bulldogs within one.
Not long after that, Cooper gave the 'Dogs the lead at 47-45 after two made three throws. Then it was Devin Ree's third triple and Newman Jr.'s third triple that made it 53-47. The lead ultimately grew to 60-51 at the 6:58 mark with Newman's eighth assist of the game, finding Cooper underneath the basket for the layup.
That would be the last field goal LA Tech made. Then it was Richmond's turn to chip away, using an 8-0 run to tie the game up at 62-all, but the Bulldogs got back-to-back stops and put the game away at the free throw line.
Cooper had a team-high 16 points to go along with a team-tying nine rebounds and four steals. Batcho finished with 13 while Abram and Newman Jr. each added 12.
Hunt was the lone Spider in double figures with a game-high 26 points.
QUOTABLES
Head coach Talvin Hester On another comeback win …"At the end of the day, everybody that is here is tired. Everybody is fatigued. But at the end of the day, it is about who wants to be here the most. We are trying to do something special. Richmond is one of the best coached teams. We just had to come out and play. We started the first and second half good, which gave us confidence. The team was resilient and kept fighting."
On trying to stop Richmond's offense …"They never stop moving. I told our team we had to be locked in and stay in a stance. They pass the ball well, cut immediately, keep the big moving. We just did not want to get back cut. Will Allen came in and was unbelievable defensively for us. He was active and a huge reason for our win."
On Devin Ree …"He was active on the glass with nine rebounds. He hit timely shots. If he can play like that consistently, he can really help this team. It gives us an added dimension with his length. We still need to be a better offensive rebounding team and ironically that is what won us the game at the end."
NOTABLES
- With the win, LA Tech now leads the all-time series with Richmond, 1-0. The Bulldogs have won all three games this season against first-time opponents (LSU-Alexandria and UMass).
- LA Tech stayed undefeated, improving to 6-0 which is the best start to the season since 1984.
- The Bulldogs have now won four games away from home this season (at UT Arlington and neutral-site games against UMass, Southern Illinois, and Richmond).
- LA Tech has won 10 of its last 12 games away from home dating back to last season.LA Tech went 14-of-18 from the free throw line.
- The Bulldogs have shot at least 70 percent from the foul line every game this season.
- Kaden Cooper led the Bulldogs in scoring for a second time this season (16 points). He also tied for the team high with nine rebounds (has had 8+ boards in four of six games) as well as four steals (has had multiple steals in five of six games).
- Sean Newman Jr. eclipsed 200 career assists as a Bulldog after recording a game-high eight dimes. He did so in just 34 games, tying for the fastest to 200 assists in program history.
- Daniel Batcho scored in double figures for the 13th straight game. He also recorded a block for the 10th straight game.
- Devin Ree pulled down a career-high nine rebounds.
UP NEXT
LA Tech will close out the Gulf Coast Showcase on Wednesday, Nov. 27 versus Eastern Kentucky. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. CT and will be broadcast on FloCollege.com.
